The best advice I can offer anyone is
quite simply "buyer beware!"
- see building a TR8. Most TR8's will quite simply look
right if they are - check out the pictures below - if it doesn't have
an engine that looks very similar to the Efi and carb engines shown, start
asking questions - does the owner still have the original carb if it has a
different one fitted? - does the car have a TR8 engine number? - this will in
95% of cases weed out the fakes.

10E = Federal model

11E = Federal model auto transmission

12E = Californian model

13E = Californian model with auto transmission

14E = Efi model

15E = Efi model with auto transmission

20E = UK spec model

Genuine TR8 Engines

TR8 Carb TR8 Efi

Fake TR8 Engines

V8 Holley
V8 SU's Other Engine

A common engine number often seen on a TR7 conversion might be 10A which denotes an engine that came from a
Rover SD1.

Chassis numbers

Check the chassis number to see if
it denotes a V8 engine (TR8) in the later (79/80/81/82) cars (chassis numbers
are very similar for the 7 & 8 as both were made on the same production line) or
that it has the correct TR8 prefix for the earlier Speake cars.

EXP all
Year Cars

These cars often started life as a
TR7 taken from the production line and converted to TR8 later, so arguably may
not be regarded as the genuine thing. In most cases the owner will have
supporting documentation to support the cars authenticity - if not don't buy it.

EXP? (? = a number)

Speake 1977/78 Year Cars

TR8 FHC - prefix
(ACN)

Speake/Canley1978/79 Year Cars

TR8 FHC -
prefix (TCN)

TR8 DHC - prefix (TCV)

Canley/Solihull 1979/80/81
Year Cars

Chassis

1: Make of car T =
Triumph

2: Model range: P = TR7/8

3. Specification: A = UK or
Europe

K = Australia

V = U.S.A., Federal (49 states)

Z = U.S.A., California

L = Canada

J = Japan

4. Type of body:
E = Coupe

D = Convertible

5. Type of engine: J = 2 litre four cylinder (TR7)

V = 3.5 litre V8 (TR8)

6. Steering, Gear box: 3 = RHD.
Automatic

4 = LHD, Automatic

7 = RHD, Manual

8 = LHD, Manual

7. Model year change: A =
1980 Model Year

*B = 1981 Model Year

*C = 1982 Model Year

8. Assembly plant: T = Canley

A = Solihull

Solihull 1981/2 Year Cars

Solihull built American and Canadian
specification TR8s and TR7s for 1981/82 carried another variation
of the VIN system. These new VINs were introduced to comply with new
American and Canadian chassis numbering regulations. They were in many
respects similar to the European system except that a 'Check Digit' was now
incorporated, which increased the length to 17 digits.

The Check digit was inserted at the 9th
position of the series and could check the validity of the entire chassis
number. The other digits that differed from the European system were the
6th, 7th and 8th digits. The check digit is calculated as follows:

Chassis

Weight

Digit Representation

Numeric

Factor

1. Continent: S
Europe

2

8

2. Country: A
U.K.

1

7

3. Manufacture: T
Triumph

3

6

4. Model range: P
TR7/8

7

5

5. Specification: V
U.S.A., (49 states)

5

4

Z U.S.A., California

9

4

L Canada

3

4

6. Type of body: 5 Coupe

5

3

4 Convertible

4

3

7. Type of engine: 1
2 litre four cylinder (TR7)

1

2

5 3.5 litre V8 (TR8)

5

2

8. Steering and 4 LHD,
Automatic

4

10

Transmission: 8 LHD,
Manual 5spd

8

10

9. Check Digit: see below
0 to 9 or X

10. Major model A 1980
Model Year

1

9

change B
1981 Model Year

2

9

C 1982 Model Year

3

9

11. Assembly plant: A
Solihull

1

8

12. Serial number:

1st digit
*
* 7

2nd digit
*
* 6

3rd digit * NOTE: * =
any digit * 5

4th digit *
between 0 and 9 * 4

5th digit
*
* 3

6th digit
*
* 2

Taking my TR8 with a chassis number of
SATPV458*BA407609 *has
been left for the check digit), each of the chassis digits must be converted
into its equivalent numeric and multiplied by its weight factor.

Chassis Weight

Digit Numeric X Factor = Product

S
2 8
= 16

A
1 7
= 7

T
3 6
= 18

P
7 5
= 35

V 5 4
= 20

4 4 3
= 12

5 5 2
= 10

8 8 10
= 80

?
CHECK DIGIT

B 2 9
= 18

A 1 8
= 8

4 4 7
= 28

0 0 6
= 0

7 7 5
= 35

6 6 4
= 24

0 0 3
= 0

9 9 2
= 18

(Add the products
together = 329)

This value is then divided by modulus 11,
In this instance 329/11 = 29 with a remainder of 10.329/11 = 29 remainder 10

This remainder value is then added
to the chassis number in the 9th position. When the remainder is
10 as is the case here an "X"
is used instead.

SATPV458XBA407609A407609

In some cases people have put the
money and time in to build a complete replica even though it doesn't make
financial sense - in most cases these people never try to pass the cars of as
genuine - the problem comes when the car has been sold on a few times! - be
warned!

DO NOT JUST GO BY THE CHASSIS No! it may
have been taken from a wrecked car or be a clone of a car still on the road! Try
to buy a car well known to the various TR Clubs.